A lot of fun Top Ten Tuesday topics come up during any given year, but my hands-down favorites are the seasonal reading prompts.  It's always fun to think about what I want to read in the upcoming months and it's even more enjoyable to see what books other bloggers are excited about.  The more the merrier, guys, so why don't you join in the fun?  All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few guidelines, make your own list, and then sit back and enjoy wandering around the book blogosphere checking out other people's posts.  Warning:  keep Goodreads open because you'll be adding a lot of great-sounding reads to your "I Need to Read it NOW" list.

I'm thrilled to have been selected as a YA fiction judge for the first round of The Cybils Awards.  I've never done this before, so I'm not exactly sure what it entails besides reading a lot of teen novels!  I assume that's what I'll be doing for most of the Fall, but since nominations don't open until November 1st, I don't have any specific titles to share.  In the meantime, then, here are the Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR List:

YA/Middle Grade


1. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (coming October 1, 2019)—I love Sepetys' historical fiction, so I've been eagerly waiting for this one to come out.  It's a love story set in Madrid after the country's Civil War.  I can't wait!


2.  Slay by Brittney Morris (out today, September 24, 2019)—When a conflict inside the Black Panther-inspired video game she secretly designed causes the death of a player, 17-year-old Kiera Johnson is thrust into a real-life battle that threatens the safe world she thought she had created for herself and other Black gamers.  Billed as Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give, this YA novel sounds intriguing and timely.


3.  The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty (out now)—As the granddaughter of a doomsday prepper, Eleanor knows she will survive the apocalypse just fine.  But what about her BFF, Mack?  Before she knows what's happening, Eleanor has become the president of an End of the World club at her school.  No matter what happens with the approaching apocalypse, her life is definitely changing.  This MG offering sounds fun.  Count me in, for sure!


4.  Color Me In by Natasha Diaz (out now)—I've always been intrigued by stories about struggles with racial identity, even before my husband and I adopted our bi-racial daughter ten years ago.  Now I'm especially drawn to them and this YA novel, about a bi-racial teen finding her way around her Black and Jewish roots, sounds exceptional.


5.  The Grey Sisters by Jo Treggiari (out today, September 24, 2019)—A trio of friends head to the mountains to visit the site of the plane crash that took their siblings' lives in order to find closure.  While they search for answers, they meet a mountain dweller searching for help.  Their meeting will change all of their lives.  I love a good survival tale; The Grey Sisters sounds like that and more.

Adult


6.  The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (out October 8, 2019)—This historical novel, about an Englishwoman living in small-town Kentucky during the Depression who decides to become a book deliverer for Eleanor Roosevelt's traveling library campaign, sounds compelling.


7.  The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (out today, September 24, 2019)—This sweeping rags-to-riches family drama sounds like one I will really enjoy.

Of course, I can't make a TTT list without including a few mystery/thrillers:


8.  The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (out November 5, 2019)—On the day she turns 25, Libby Jones finds out not just who her biological parents are, but also that she has inherited their posh home in London.  She soon discovers that the house has a dark, haunting history ... I love a ghostly story, especially around Halloween time.  This one sounds like it will fit the bill perfectly!


9.  One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski (out October 1, 2019)—When a woman is offered a house-sitting gig at a luxurious beach home, she jumps at the chance.  The more she learns about a 30-year-old mystery connected to the home, the more intrigued she becomes ... Another creepy house story - yaaassss!  I want them all!


10.  Before the Devil Fell by Neil Olson (out October 8, 2019)—This is another novel that sounds like a great spine-tingling Halloween read.  It concerns a man who returns to the hometown he fled in the wake of disturbing rumors about his mother and her "coven."  His assumption that his mother's interest in witchcraft was just a passing hippie phase is dissolved as he finds disturbing clues in his family history that hint at a much lengthier association with New England witchcraft.

There you have it, ten books I'm looking forward to reading this Fall.  How about you?  What's on your list?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours. 

Happy TTT!

If you've been a blogger for any length of time, you've probably noticed the general decline in not just blog reading but also in blog commenting.  I still spend a sizable chunk of time doing both, but no one has ever accused me of keeping up with trends!  Megan over at Leafing Through Life is also sad that commenting has gone out of fashion.  In order to bring back the blog commenting love, she launched a little thing she calls Choose Your Own Comment Adventure.  To have an "adventure," you choose a book blog, read the most recent post, make a thoughtful comment, then click on the first commenter's link and head over to their blog.  Repeat the process until you've visited ten (or more) blogs.  I love this idea!  I've been meaning to go on an adventure of my own ever since Megan posted about her first one.  Now that she's provided a linky to join in the fun, I'm totally going for it!  Here's the journey I took around the book blogosphere today:

1.  Back to Books:  The first blog that showed up in my Bloglovin' list was this one, written by a Canadian book lover.  I've been visiting Nicola's blog off and on for years and have discovered lots of great books because of it.  Unfortunately, the book she most recently reviewed—Crazy Dead by Suzanne F. Kingsmill—doesn't sound like my cup of tea.  Nicola wasn't wild about it either.  She said the plot was a mess and the characters behaved in ways that just weren't believable.  Hate that!  I'll pass on this book, but I'll definitely return to Back to Books.

2.  Mystica/Musings from Sri Lanka:  Mystica was the first commenter on Nicola's post, so I headed over to her blog next.  She reviewed a book that sounds like the exact sort of read I would enjoy.  Still Mine by Amy Stuart is a mystery about a missing girl and an outsider who refuses to give up on finding her.  She says the book is descriptive, atmospheric, and twisty.  I added it to my Goodreads TBR list.  Can't wait to see what I think of it.

3.  Bermuda Onion:  This blogger has been around for a long time and is well known for her generous commenting.  It's no surprise that her blog came up.  I was intrigued by her Wondrous Wednesday post, highlighting words I'd never heard of.  I learned the definition of "ruminants" (gross!) and "coelacanth" (interesting!).

4.  The Book Sage:  The first comment on that post led me to a new-to-me blog.  Lloyd's most recent post was a recap of an author event he had attended.  Yaa Gyasi, author of Homegoing—which has been getting excellent reviews—is a local author.  Gyasi, who's originally from Ghana, sounds like a fascinating person.  Her book has been on my Goodreads TBR list for many weeks.

The first comment on this post was from Bermuda Onion, so I went back to my Bloglovin' list and started over, which led me to:

5.  Bart's Bookshelf:  This is another blog that I've been reading for years.  Darren reviews a lot of sci fi/fantasy and dystopian books and has provided me with some excellent reading recommendations in the past.  His newest review is lovely.  He talks about The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Milwood Hargrave, which, he says, is worth the buy just for its gorgeous writing.  However, he insists readers should get themselves a paper copy because the book itself is so beautiful.  Verdict?  Sold.

6.  The Written Word:  The first commenter on that post was Kailana, another Canadian book blogger.  Her most recent post was a "week in review" summary.  Her loved ones have been sick, so it's been a bit of a rough one for her.  On the bright side, she's reading two books that I enjoyed:  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and The Cutting Season by Attica Locke.  She also posted some gorgeous scenic shots that she took.  Very impressive.

7.  I Wish I Lived in a Library:  Kailana's first commenter was Katherine P, whose blog I visit frequently.  Her most recent post is a review of An Address to Die For by Mary Feliz.  The book revolves around a professional organizer who is moving into a new house.  When she drives up, she's shocked to see that the home is in terrible disrepair.  Even more disconcerting is the dead body in the basement.  The plot sounds similar to The Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves.  I enjoyed that one and am quite sure I'll dig this one as well.

8.  Quinn's Book Nook:  That post led me to Quinn's review of P.S. I Like You, a new YA romance by Kasie West.  Quinn said it took her a little while to warm up to the characters in the book, but that she enjoyed it overall.  Like West's other books, it's a light, cute romance.  I enjoy West as well, so I'll check this one out soon.

9.  Nick and Nereyda's Infinite Booklist:  Quinn's commenter led me to another new-to-me blog.  The most recent post by N&N is a fun guide to their "Favorite Friends to More Romances."  I've only read 1 1/2 of the books on the list, so I got a lot of great recommendations on what to try next.

10.  Lekeisha the Book Nerd:  The last stop on my adventure was another new discovery for me.  Lekeisha's Waiting on Wednesday post featured The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis.  Like me, she's a fan of McGinnis' writing.  Even when she doesn't like one of the characters or plot devices in one of the author's books, Lekeisha said McGinnis' prose is always "on point."  I agree wholeheartedly.

Phew!  So, there you have it.  I had a fun commenting adventure, which led me to new blogs and back to old favorites that I hadn't visited in awhile.  Thanks for the inspiration, Megan!  If you'd like to join in the commenting fun, head over to Leafing Through Life and sign up.  I'd love to hear about the blogs you discover on your own journey.  Until then, happy commenting!